Kansas City Bomber is both a gritty,realistic action film and a perfect showcase for the talents of Raquel Welch! The film opens with a (staged) match-race which sests the tone for the rest of the story... Raquel portrays Diane"KC"Carr-a beautiful,dissallusional mother of two who has become a pro-skater for both the money and the desire to succeed in something for HERSELF!Her two children(curiously about the same ages as Raquels kids in real-life) live in Kansas City with her concerned yet old-fashioned mother.KC's mother of course wants her to quit the life on the road and simply come home to the kids.KC says she just needs"a piece of the action" but we can tell that Mom's advice IS sinking in! Meanwhile life on the road as a pro-skater is no bed of roses: KC's new team the Portland Loggers is managed by the shifty and suave Burt Henry-Mr. Henry has "big plans" for KC-not to mention making her his(latest?) love interest!Much to the dismay of the other girls on the team-especially the aging,alcoholic,scrapper Jackie Burdett. Mr.Henry's idea of achieving his 'big plans' involve elevating KC's status at whatever the cost! Will he succeed? Or will KC's better judgement win out? Aside from the obvious plot drama,Kansas City Bomber is probably the first movie to reveal the life of second-rate athletes.This movie takes some chances with showing it's skaters as they were in the 1970s-mostly middle-aged and lonely! They travel from city to city in buses,hang out together in cheap bars,and get no other joys from their lives-except while signing thier fans autographs! I especially appreciate the way that the filmakers resisted the temptation to glamourize the sport of pro-skating-instead they have portrayed it mostly as it was in the 70s-a dying sport! These skaters perform to dingy and half-empty arenas and expo centers-populated with the elderly,disabled and too young patrons! Clearly nobody is getting rich here-EXCEPT for the sleazy Mr.Henry!
